Portuguese 1
Syllabus
Course Essential Questions
- How do we communicate in Brazilian Portuguese about everyday life/situations through reading, writing, speaking, and listening at the novice level?
- What are some major cultural aspects of the various Portuguese speaking (Lusophone) countries?
- How do Brazilian and other Lusophone cultures compare to one’s own culture?
- How does Brazilian Portuguese language and culture influence today's global societies?
Course Learning Objectives
- Comprehend written, audio, audiovisual, and visual text through the ability to describe the literal meaning of the text.
- Speak and/or write to others demonstrating comprehension and the use of oral and written strategies.
- Present by using appropriate oral, visual, and written strategies to communicate an idea to an intended audience.
- Identify and interpret a variety of cultural practices of Lusophone countries.
- Compare and contrast Brazilian cultural norms to the cultural norms of one's own community.
- Describe the influence of the Portuguese language and culture in today's world.
Unit 1: Oi, tudo bem? (Weeks 1-5) (Hi, how are you?)
Unit Level Essential Questions
- What are the rules, policies, and expectations of this course?
- How do we participate and become part of the classroom community in this course?
- How can we make connections between the Portuguese language and my own?
- How do we greet others in Brazilian Portuguese?
- How do we describe ourselves?
- What are some characteristics of the Lusophone cultures?
- How do we greet others in Portuguese?
- How do we communicate in everyday situations?
- How do we describe who we are?
Week 1: Bem-vindo ao Português (Welcome to Portuguese class)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Understand the rules and policies of the course, and expectations of you as a contributing member of our learning community
- Develop your skills for navigating the course environment and using the various course tools.
- Identify the importance of learning Brazilian Portuguese and the cultural aspects of Lusophone societies.
- Draw conclusions on how cognates can help with learning Brazilian Portuguese.
Week 2: Saudações, despedidas, expressões de cortesia (Greetings, Goodbyes, and courtesy expressions)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Identify and apply basic language skills to greet people in Portuguese.
- Recognize the different courtesy expressions and when they are used.
- Reflect on cultural norms of Lusophone countries surrounding greetings.
Week 3: Situações (Situations)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Greet others using simple phrases.
- Apply courtesy expressions to the conversation.
- Reflect on how personal space norms vary in Lusophone societies.
Week 4: Personalidades (Personalities)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Describe personality traits using cognates (similar words in both languages).
- Identify and produce the sounds of Portuguese vowels and consonants.
- Reflect on how culture influences collective personality traits.
Week 5: Quem sou eu? (Who am I?)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Provide a brief description about one’s own personality.
- Apply the verb SER to imply permanent state.
- Compare and contrast personality traits among classmates.
Unit 2: A sala de aula (Weeks 6-10) (The Classroom)
Unit Level Essential Questions
- How do we describe our classroom?
- How do we tell our age and express quantities?
- How do we tell time?
- How do we celebrate birthdays?
Week 6: Materiais escolares (School supplies)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Describe things that belong in the classroom.
- Distinguish between the verbs HÁ and TEM and apply them appropriately.
- Compare student access to technology in Brazil with student access in our own communities.
Week 7: Onde é que está? (Where is it?)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Describe school supplies using colors.
- Identify the location of people and objects using the verb ESTAR.
- Distinguish between the verbs SER and ESTAR and apply them appropriately.
- Reflect on the meaning of the colors on the Brazilian flag.
Week 8: Os números 0-99 (Numbers 0-99)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Identify and apply numbers 0-99 to describe quantity and age.
- Provide one’s age using the verb TER.
- Identify nasal vowel sounds by producing their appropriate pronunciation.
Week 9: Que horas são? (What time is it?)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Tell time using the verb SER.
- Apply the 24-hour time format to tell time.
- Reflect on the different time formats between Lusophone countries and our own.
Week 10: Os meses do ano e os dias da semana (Months of the Year and Days of the Week)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Identify and apply numbers and days of the week to describe dates.
- Identify birthday celebration traditions in Brazil.
- Compare and contrast birthday celebrations in Brazil with one’s own culture.
Unit 3: A escola (Weeks 11-15) (School)
Unit Level Essential Questions
- What does our daily school life look like?
Week 11: As materias (School Subjects)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Identify and apply the different disciplines to describe courses.
- Describe the disciplines you like and the ones you dislike.
- Compare high school courses in Lusophone countries with courses in our own schools.
Week 12: Atividades escolares (Activities)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Describe activities related to school.
- Identify the relationship between pronouns and action verbs and apply it appropriately.
- Contrast the differences between education in Brazil with education in our own country.
Week 13: Os horários (Schedules)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Describe school schedules.
- Identify gender and number and apply them appropriately.
- Compare and contract school schedules in Lusophone countries with schedules in our own schools.
Week 14: Atividades extracurriculares (Extracurricular Activities)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Describe extracurricular activities in schools.
- Express interests related to extracurricular activities.
- Discover the role of extracurricular activities in Lusophone countries.
Week 15: Minha vida escolar (My School Life)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Describe our daily school life.
- Express daily school activities with action ER/IR verbs.
- Compare and contrast aspects of schooling in Brazil with one’s own community.
Unit 4: Entre amigos (Weeks 16-18) (Friendships)
Unit Level Essential Questions
- How do we describe friendship?
- How does ethical background impact relationship?
Week 16: Como são meus amigos? (How are my friends?)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Describe our friends' personal and physical traits.
- Apply antonyms to adjectives.
- Discuss the impact of language and culture on friendships.
Week 17: Nacionalidades (Nationalities)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Identify and describe place of origin and nationality.
- Identify colors to describe flags of Lusophone countries.
- Compare and contrast ethnic and cultural diversity in Brazil with cultural diversity in our own countries.
Week 18: Meus amigos e eu (My Friends and I)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Identify ways to describe our friends' possessions.
- Demonstrate additional applications of the verb SER and ESTAR.
- Compare and contrast the characteristics of friendship in Lusophone countries with our own experiences of friendship.
Unit 5: Horas de Lazer (Weeks 19-22) (Entertainment)
Unit Level Essential Questions
- How do we spend our free time?
Week 19: O divertimento (Fun)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Identify and describe fun activities.
- Provide information about fun activities using common expressions.
- Compare and contrast the role of punctuality in Brazilian culture with our own culture.
Week 20: A comida (Food)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Identify and describe foods and drinks.
- Describe the restaurant experience using ER/IR verbs.
- Compare how the immigrant population has influenced the food environment in Massachusetts with similar influences in your own community.
Week 21: O fim de semana (The Weekend)
Weekly Learning Objectives.
- Describe weekend plans.
- Use the verb IR to describe future actions.
- Compare and contrast holidays in Lusophone countries with holidays in our own countries.
Week 22: Mosaico musical (Musical Mosaic)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Identify musical styles of Lusophone countries.
- Describe the African influences in Brazilian music.
- Compare the evolution of the Fado with a particular musical genre in our own culture.
Unit 6: A família (Weeks 23-26) (Family)
Unit Level Essential Questions
- How do we describe family and family traditions?
Week 23: Árvore familiar (Family Tree)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Recognize familial associations.
- Describe family activities using stem-changing verbs appropriately.
- Compare and contrast the role of immediate family in Lusophone countries with our own.
Week 24: O que significa “família”? (What is the meaning of family?)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Describe family members.
- Elaborate on preferences and opinions using adverbs appropriately.
- Discuss the meaning of family among immigrant communities.
Week 25: As rotinas diárias (Daily Routines)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Describe daily family and personal routines.
- Distinguish between stem-changing verbs and irregular verbs.
- Compare and contrast daily family routines in Brazil and daily routines in our own families.
Week 26: Tradições familiares (Family Traditions)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Describe family traditions using stem-changing verbs.
- Recognize Há/Faz to express time.
- Compare and contrast family law in Lusophone countries with our own.
Unit 7: A casa e os móveis (Weeks 27-29) (Home)
Unit Level Essential Questions
- How do we describe the home?
- What defines household chores?
- How do we express ongoing actions?
Week 27: Os ambientes (Rooms in a house)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Discuss the different kinds of housing.
- Identify and describe the rooms in a home.
- Compare and contrast main aspects of housing in Brazil with our own.
Week 28: As tarefas domésticas (Chores)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Describe daily chores.
- Reflect on how cultural norms in Lusophone countries impact chore responsibilities.
- Compare and contrast the difference between the role that domestic workers play in Brazil versus our countries.
Week 29: Que bagunça! (It’s a Mess!)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Identify ongoing tasks using present progressive appropriately.
- Talk about ongoing activities.
- Compare the aspects of architectural structures in different Lusophone countries.
Unit 8: Vida contemporânea (Weeks 30-33) (Contemporary Life)
Unit Level Essential Questions
- How do contemporary factors affect our daily lives?
Week 30: O tempo (Weather)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Identify and describe the four seasons.
- Identify the differences between SABER and CONHECER (to know)
- Reflect on how seasons occur in the different Lusophone countries at different times of the year.
Week 31: O dia a dia (Daily Life)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Identify and describe daily schedules.
- Distinguish between SABER and CONHECER.
- Compare daily challenges faced by youth in Lusophone countries and our own.
Week 32: Technologia (Technology)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Identify and describe the tech scene in Portugal today.
- Apply the verb IR to indicate future actions.
- Compare and contrast the use of technology to improve the lives of marginalized areas in Brazilian communities with our own.
Week 33: Experiências (Experiences)
Weekly Learning Objectives
- Complete a written project about your daily life in Portuguese.
- Say goodbye to your classmates.
- Provide feedback about the course.